Naruto Namikaze
by EbonySouls
Summary: Through the hard decisions of one parent, a slew of events happen, tugging a son between two potential lives. With a father at one shoulder, and a mother at the other, a choice must be made at some point. Mother, or Father? Regardless of the finale decision, friends will be there to support one another. Maybe the relatability between two teens can warm two wounded, lonely souls?
1. Chapter 1

It was the early hours of the morning when Naruto Uzumaki was born, brightening his parents lives with merely his presence. Despite the dire situation both adults were in, the loud wails of their son warmed their hearts, causing smiles to gently grace their faces.

The mother, Kushina Uzumaki, held her son close to her chest, was still in temporary disbelief at the life she had brought about. Tears of joy streamed down her face, as she produced a mixture of cries and laughter, as she comforted her still comforting child.

The father, Minato Namikaze, stood a few feet away from the scene, watching his wife and newest family member cuddle and cry together. A sad smile graced his lips, as he pondered the possibility of losing this, of losing everything. Though knowing his duties as the Hokage, and longing for a family of his own, he was left with a difficult, and possibly dangerous situation, to consider. With the nine-tailed fox currently rampaging above them, and the shouts and screams of fellow shinobi, desperately trying to hold off the rabid beast, Minato was at a momentary loss. The blonde haired Hokage longed to rise from the ruins he was currently standing within. To ascend to the sky, and take down the gigantic monster, thus saving the village he was sworn to protect. However, whilst longing to save his village and people, he was wished to remain with his wife and child, and spend what could possibly be their last moments together.

As the troubled man pondered his options, a particularly loud crash sounded from above, and with merely a glance back up to his family, he left to face the inevitable.

When hearing her husband rush away, Kushina slowly, painstakingly turned her head in the direction he had been in moments ago. Acknowledging Minato had left to assist the village, and their fellow shinobi, she turned back to look at her son. He'd quietened somewhat with the disappearance of his father, which brought a solemn expression to her face. Knowing her usually vast supply of chakra was now near non-existent, and realising the consequences of the nine-tails being released over her, she pulled her new-born to her, holding him tightly as she cried silently.

The sight before Minato couldn't have woken him up more than anything. Lying before him was a stream of destruction, craters littering the densely forested area, and aside from that, the constant stream of med-nin's rushing back and forth, seeing to the severely wounded, or those still alive despite their injuries. A guilty expression held on the Hokage's face, until his eyes burned with anger, and his mouth changed from a frown to a snarl. He'd seen enough, and secretly, he was glad he'd left his family so that he could see the destruction laying before him.

Despite not knowing the masked man who had caused all this destruction, and not knowing said villain's true agenda, the Hokage did know one key, intriguing fact. The masked man had known Kushina, and himself. He'd known of Naruto's birth, and he had known where they had been hiding during Kushina's labour. However, the most concerning fact to the blonde man, was that this elusive individual had not only know all of the previously mentioned facts, but he also knew Minato more specifically. He'd known how to combat him. He'd been able to predict his actions. Nobody was able to predict such habits so specifically. The only way to predict such actions with such accuracy could only lead to two possibilities. One: the man had been an Uchiha, and had used the Sharingan to copy his movements, and predict his actions. However, this seemed unlikely, as Minato only knew of Kakashi being so skilled with the copying abilities of the Sharingan, and he was definitely not an option. Two: the man knew Minato, and he knew him very well; well enough to predict his actions.

Though this situation was worrying beyond belief, Minato shoved the information aside to the back of his mind, and focused on the task at hand. First, he'd worry about sealing the nine-tails, though into whom he was still unsure, and he'd worry about the mysterious masked man later. For now, he'd assist his people, and save the village he'd sworn to protect.

With those decisions made, Minato took one finale slow, deep breath to calm himself, before he flashed away from his observation point, and moved to face the beast he'd hoped he'd never see again.

After a long, one-sided battle against the nine-tailed fox, the fourth Hokage was forced to retreat further back. Moving away from imminent danger, he watched the monster and tried to analyse the situation, trying to find some way to bring the beast down from its madness driven rampage.

Whilst trying to think, he felt the presence of another join him in the few remaining treetops. Pulling him from the situation at hand, he realised the presence belonged to his student, Kakashi Hatake. The silver-haired teen, still a child in his eyes, crouched a few meters away watching his teacher with a mixed expression. Whilst his mask covered mouth hid the sad, worried form gracing his lips, his eyes were another story as they spoke multiple levels of concern, worry, and pity. Responding with his own solemn look, the Hokage returned his gaze to the destruction before him. He'd realised truthfully before he'd entered his battle with the beast, that there was no way he'd be able to defeat the beast properly. Instead, he would have the seal the monster again, into another person. However, he'd entered the battle anyway, hoping that maybe a miracle would allow him to kill the creature that threatened his village, family, and very way of life. Sadly, the gods had not graced him with such an opportunity, and as of such, he'd now have to find someone, anyone, willing to become the new vessel for the monster.

Kakashi Hatake was a bright young shinobi, one of the brightest in many generations of nin. There was rarely a time or place where he was unsure how to proceed, or suffered mixed feelings on his duties. He understood the pressure his sensei was feeling, and he understood the need the villagers felt for everything happening to end. However, that did not make the options any easier.

Watching his sensei suffering, and noting the regret he held in his eyes, despite not even acting yet, Kakashi knew the decision his teacher had chosen. Someone, whoever was unfortunate enough to be chosen, would become the host for the beast, and would most likely suffer whatever pain and torment the demon could come up with. Whilst realising this, Minato had turned to face his student again, but this time with a different expression. Moments ago, the expression had been concerned, yet aware of the situation. Now, the blue pair of eyes held emotions of deep sadness and pain, as well as a questioning, and pleading look directed at the youngest of the pair.

Kakashi, noting the pleading, near begging look in his sensei's eyes, he'd realised the decision he had made. Acknowledging the request, Kakashi rushed off to the location Kushina, and her son were hiding in, to collect the young, unnamed child. As Kakashi abandoned his teacher to reach the soon-to-be suffering new-born, he thought the situation over. The babe, barely a few hours old, would soon be confined to the fate of eternal torment, until he eventually died. He'd become a target of abuse and hate for the unaware, intolerant parents, worried for their own sakes. Despite knowing this, the Hokage had made this decision, though clearly it pained him to do so. His son would suffer, quite possibly alone, for most likely his entire life. Knowing the results; the pain and suffering that would occur from this decision, Kakashi resigned himself to follow his sensei's orders.

Sprinting as fast as he can to his sensei's red-headed wife, Kakashi could only hope the child wouldn't be too pained by the sealing itself, as he realised how bad a first day of life that would be for the baby.

**Author's Note:**

This is my first fanfiction focusing on the Naruto Uzumaki universe. Please be kind, and review's and comments would be much appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

Minato looked down at his son, wondering to himself whether he'd made the right decision. Sealing a demon inside a new-born child, and not just any child, but your own flesh and blood? Yes, whilst the fates were cruel to Minato, he realised he'd rather it be his son than anyone else's. Enough people had died, and lost their lives in the line of duty, protecting the village. Minato wouldn't dream of wishing this fate on another, not even in his darkest of moments.

The young babe in question now christened, Naruto Uzumaki, was now in a very delicate state. After sealing the demon away, and making sure Kushina had seen a med-nin, Minato was left to watch the child who had yet to make a sound. Ever since Minato had left to assist the village, the babe had remained quiet above all else, as if knowing he was very much in danger still. Minato remembered back to the news from Suna; that the Fourth Kazekage had somehow managed to pass the one-tailed Biju into his youngest son, when it had originally was hosted in the mother. Truthfully, Minato pitied the child, despite not having seen the boy as of yet. The Fourth Kazekage was widely known to be rather power hungry, and the fact he'd burdened his youngest with the responsibility of such a blood thirsty demon, showed no-bounds to his arrogance. Sadly however, the boy would have to suffer alone. Clearly the Fourth had decided against subtly, as otherwise the news of the youngest becoming a jinchuriki would have never reached Konoha.

Regardless though, the Hokage's concern was elsewhere. Specifically, he was worried about his wife. Now that Kushina now no longer hosted the nine-tailed fox, she had no true reason to remain in Konoha. Originally, she'd been sent to the Leaf Village under protection, as jinchuriki are highly sought after individuals, and the fact that she was the last of the 'pure' lineage of the Uzumaki clan said a lot. She'd have other more important responsibilities now, meaning himself and their child might suffer as a result.

Falling into darker thoughts, the Hokage shook his head, brushing the feelings away.

No, Kushina would never leave him, and their child like that! Sure, she would be the heir to her clan, but her parents and grandparents were still alive to guide the clan in her stead, and ultimately, she was a Leaf-nin, so her loyalties and duties belonged here. Also, Konoha had close ties with Uzushiogakure, or the Land of Whirlpools, so it would be too difficult to go back and forth anyway.

Coming to this conclusion, the Fourth calmed himself down, and decided to speak with Kushina later. For now, she was away being treated my medical nin's, and he was the one left with their son. Taking up the babe in his arms, he got his first real look at his son. Hours before, he'd merely noted the familiar colour's he had, but now, he had all the time in the world to memorise every feature on the baby's face.

Naruto was round faced, with chubby cheeks that seemed to flush as Minato examined the boy. Naruto's eyes were squeezed shut, though Minato already knew of their blue colour. Small, barely noticeable blonde hair's graced his head, showing the boy's hair would no doubt grow quickly. The father noted the softness on his son's ears, which he caressed silently, marvelling in how small they were; of how small his son was. A tiny button nose graced the centre of his face, completing his face. As Minato stared adoringly into his son's face, Naruto opened his eyes and looked up into his father's equally blue eyes, and cooed quietly. A warm smiled shifted onto Minato's face, as he counted the different tones and hues in the eyes before him. Moments of staring later, Naruto seemed to have become frustrated, and began to cry. Minato, smiling none the less, cuddled his son close to him, and revelled in the warmth the boy provided. Once the boy had quietened again, which could have been hours later for all Minato knew, the Hokage lifted his son up as he stood, and held the boy tightly to him once again. Upon seeing the boy was still peacefully cooing to himself, Minato's smile deepened, and he rushed off to find the baby's mother.

-ooooooooooooo-

After rushing around to find Kushina, the blonde haired Hokage had slipped into a worried mess. Whilst searching for the elusive redhead, he'd witnessed the damage and distress the momentary attack had caused for the civilians. Jonin and Chunin were doing their best to calm them, but after seeming such a monstrous, demonic act of destruction and terror, it was clear that it would take some time before the people of Konoha would actually return to normalcy. Sharing kind, comforting words to the villagers he could see needed it the most, he'd continued on, trying to find where exactly Kushina had gone with the med-nin's she had gone along with.

Stilling holding Naruto, his small son in his arms tightly, the fourth Hokage was becoming more concerned by the minute, which was not helping his thought process.

_Kushina, where are you? I need you here with Naruto, safe and sound, before I can confidently organise the Shinobi. _Minato thought to himself, becoming more frantic as time passed.

As Minato rushed around the remains of the city, trying to locate his wife, he'd become oblivious to the silver-haired youth following him.

Kakashi Hatake, upon seeing the nine-tails defeat and sealed, had attempted to take the blonde baby off his father's hands, so that Minato could work on acting as a Hokage. However, the silver-haired teen allowed the father and son to meet and comfort each other, and when he was about to step in, seeing as the time was right, his teacher had run off.

With the blonde Hokage becoming progressively more frantic, and progressively more difficult to follow, his student knew it was time to actively step in. Seeing his teacher land down into an opening for a couple of moments, Kakashi made his presence known to his sensei, and offer a small smile.

"Sensei." His spoke softly, his tone trained into a neutral guise.

"Kakashi!" Came his reply, though a clear sign of relief washed over the older man. Instilling a smile onto his lips, Minato asked:

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought you needed some help, Sensei. I'll take your son off your hands for the next couple of hours, and watch him whilst you see to the villagers."

"But Kakashi, I need to get Naruto to Kushina!" Minato countered.

"I'll take him to her, Sensei. Just worry about your duties, for now. You'll be able to see Kushina and your son in the morning, just leave them with me."

Whilst clearly reluctant, the Hokage handed his son to his student, but not before giving the boy one more kiss on his forehead. With Kakashi holding the boy securely and safely, Minato nodded to his student, and left to see the shinobi and villagers that needed him in these stressful hours of the night.

-ooooooooooooo-

Kushina Uzumaki laid against a tree-trunk close to the Konoha hospital. As a shinobi she decided to wait outside for assistance, instead of taking up a bed that could be used for a more serious injury. With a huge amount of her chakra used up, as well as many bruises and aches within her torso, she couldn't be more much assistance to anyone, and would rather wait for her strength to come back before she tried standing up again.

The med-nin that she had departed with had left to more critical, near-fatally injured patients, and Kushina was not about to keep them from her work. Watching the few shinobi she saw go back and forth, the red-haired woman turned her head towards the sky, and marvelled at the night sky she saw before her.

She then thought of Naruto, her son. Oh, how he was gorgeous! No doubt her parents would love him. However, Minato…

Kushina brushed aside her darker thoughts, and instead continued to wait for time to pass.

After an undistinguishable amount of time, Kakashi Hatake appeared before the mother, and offered the crying baby to her. Smiling warming at seeing her young son's face, Kakashi then helped the woman up and assisted her back home, where both she and her child could rest.

-ooooooooooooo-

**Authors Note:**

**Hey guys! Thanks to HybridTailedFox, KakashisGirl33 and ****for following my story. You guys are awesome!**

**Anyways, I wanted to give a quick wandering, see as I bet this fanfiction isn't going to go down well with some people in the community, when it actually starts rolling into the plot.**

**First off, there is going to be quite a bit of hate towards a particular character at one point. **

**Second off, I'm going to bring traditions and clan values into the story, although they might not exist in the canon. **

**Third off, no. This is not a 'yaoi'. A 'yaoi' is a gay romance that starts off all romantic and ends with hot, steamy smexy time with very little romance. I cannot write for smexy time, so none of that is happening here. Instead, whilst elements of romance will be included, this story is more about comfort, and who you find comfort with, although it does ultimately turn to love. If this story gets enough people interested, I'll write a sequel with all the smexy time you desire. For now, cute kiddies and young love, okay? **


	3. Chapter 3

Minato Namikaze was having a difficult time managing his time, and it was definitely starting to show. Whilst juggling his regular duties as a Hokage, and the paper work involved, he was also stuck instructing the jonin and giving them jobs to complete to help reconstruct the sections of the village damaged by the attack. The Hokage was also expected to give supportive, comforting speeches to the regular villagers on a regular basis, to update them on work being done, completed or planned for the future. Within all this madness the attack had caused, Minato was also trying to support his wife and child, whom both have various difficulties due to their separate situations.

Kushina was still suffering from chakra deprivation, as losing the Biju within her and becoming a regular individual meant her body would have to readjust to the new limit of chakra she could house. Sadly, this was much less than before, though the Uzumaki's always had large reserves of chakra, so her reserves were still fairly high. However, the actual loss of the supportive weight she'd held before was taking its toll, and she also wasn't healing as fast due to the nine-tails being moved onto another.

Naruto, their young babe, was in a completely different situation. Due to the circumstances at the time and the panic Minato had been in at the moment, the seal that the nine-tails was housed into Naruto by was much weaker than his mother's had been. This meant the beast was able to disrupt the baby much more often, even leading to points of possession by the fox, though having Kushina around to protect Naruto and his well-being certainly helped. Minato had also discovered that his son wasn't sleeping at all, also caused by the nine-tails, who was taking great pleasure in keeping the boy from resting at any time.

More specifically, when Naruto fell asleep out of exhaustion, the nine-tails had discovered he had full rein over the baby's body, meaning he could manipulate Naruto's small body much like a puppet. This had led the beast to make the boy torment himself, mainly scratching himself until he bled. Kushina had been mortified at first, but she quickly learnt to be constantly vigilant for her baby. Whilst Kushina watched their son like a hawk during the night and day, Minato was busy running back and forth from job to job, trying to assist the village in any way he could. Sadly, this left him minimal time to take care of his son and wife, and he wasn't able to see either of them at all for long.

However, Minato worked exceptionally hard the week after the attack, and had been able to come up will a list of jobs for the jonin who finished each job he gave them, and he was also able to get the assistance of Kakashi and Sarutobi to organise the shinobi and workers. With the assistance of Kakashi, Sarutobi and the elders, the young Hokage was able to direct all of the shinobi that came to him with jobs, and he had also found the time to take breaks, and rest with his new family.

-ooooooooooooo-

One night, two weeks since the attack had occurred, Minato had begun walking home from his office, painfully aware of how tired he was, and how dark the sky had become.

Looking up and staring at the few stars that littered the clouded night sky, Minato couldn't help but feel like he needed to have everything stabilised and complete quickly, so as to avoid any more stress, or excess work on his part. He could only work so many hours before he collapsed from lack of sleep, or he ends up shouting at some poor genin asking for a mission. Regardless, Minato wanted more time to breathe, and if he didn't get it soon, he'd end up screaming at the next person who knocked on his door.

Admiring the sky silently, he then noticed a change in the air. Feeling a familiar shinobi's chakra close-in on him, Minato smiled and turned to face the direction of the chakra, only to see Kakashi land in front of him. Lifting his hand in acknowledgement the Hokage took the moment to observe his student.

Kakashi Hatake's face gave nothing away, as per usual, though Minato could see the emotion in his eyes: Happy. Actually, that was a lie. Minato had not seen Kakashi truly happy since the youngster had lost his teammates, and with Might Gai out on an important mission at the moment, no one was really around to brighten his spirits. The blonde couldn't help but soften at his student's content gaze, before addressing him.

"Kakashi." The blonde's voice said in a happy tone.

"Sensei." Replied the younger, looking all the more tired. Minato would have laughed at the boy's antics, but he had grown used to Kakashi's lazy, unconcerned way of life.

"Having a little trouble sleeping, huh?"

"I'm on night shift."

"Ah, typical. I thought you'd be bothering Asuma by now."

"Asuma's disappeared. I've tried to find him, but he's just up and vanished. I think he's avoiding me." Kakashi replied passively, though Minato could see a smile forming on his face."

"That's what you get for pressuring the poor guy into being your drinking buddy." Minato laughed, remembering Asuma's face when he'd come to his office a few weeks ago, begging to be moved to another shift. The silver-haired teen shrugged off his sensei's comment, pretending not to care. Minato knew better though, as he saw the smirk teasing his face.

Minato had learned that regardless of the fact that Kakashi wore a mask he tended to express himself in smaller gestures and features, which were much more difficult to catch than the usual big smile or grin. Though Kakashi had trained himself to pull a completely straight face, people like himself had learned and mastered the smallest movements on the teens face, and connected those to emotions.

"Sensei?" Came Kakashi's voice, snapping the blonde back to reality. His student looked up at him, with mildly concerned eyes

"Oh. Sorry, Kakashi. It's been a long day." Said Minato, trying to lessen his student's worry. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, before sighing in defeat.

"Sensei, go to bed." Kakashi exasperated, whilst sending a warning glare his elder's way upon seeing him start to reply. Able to predict his defeat, Minato smiled softly, and ruffled Kakashi's hair in a minimal attempt at revenge, before running home. He'd wanted to admire the peace and quiet of the night, but clearly Kakashi didn't share his opinion. Chuckling to himself, Minato flew over the roofs of the city, watching his house slowly grow larger as he got neared his home.

-ooooooooooooo-

**Thanks for the new followers of this fanfic, and sorry for the wait! Welcome to the gang, Sefieshuko, Weirdcat, Wolfmoon30 and xXDOVAHKIINXx! With the introductions out of the way, let's move on to the rest of the notes!**

**Things start getting interesting next chapter, as the plot will begin to go into full swing, and things will happen! Yay!**

**I'd also like to point out that yes, I don't write long chapters at all. Instead, each individual chapter has something that happens, or is explained within it, as opposed to running over several chapters. This is because, 1, I'm used to writing short, smaller scenes and events as opposed to long-winded chapters, and 2, because I feel it'll be easier to keep up with if the exposition chapters were just kept compact and short, as opposed to spreading them into small sections.**

**Sorry if the chapter style puts you off, but I've always enjoyed writing in small sections and challenging myself to get everything I want across in as little words as possible, and as of such, this is what I've decided on. **

**But never mind all that nonsense, hope you enjoyed this updated, and any reviews so far would be most appreciated! Thanks! 3**


	4. Chapter 4

After the short encounter with Kakashi, Minato had made his way home. Opening the red door to his home, the 4th Hokage was greeted with an uncomfortable silence. Pausing a few moments to check the atmosphere of the house, Minato took a silent step into the hallway, closing the door behind him with the slightest of squeaks. With the lack of any sound, Minato assumed Kushina had put Naruto to bed, and was probably still up with him in his room. On light feet, note: still wearing his sandals, Minato walked down the hall and into the main living area.

Looking into the room from around the doorway, Minato saw his wife holding a scroll, open, in front of her as if reading it. Smiling and calming at his wife's presence, Minato entered as he normally would: with sound.

"Kushina? I'm home~" He chirped, smiling as the red head turned to face him. She wore a surprised expression and subtly pulled the scroll towards herself. However, recognising her husband, she smiled welcomingly.

"Minato. You're early, you know!" Flushing at her verbal tick*, she pouted at Minato, who wore an amused smile on his face.

"Yeah, Kakashi caught me wandering around the village, and told me to go home. So, here I am!"

"Silly. Staring at the sky again?" Minato responded with a sad smile, though he quickly shifted his expression to a happier one. Walking over and hugging his wife, Minato pulled back to look at her.

"So, has Naruto been keeping you busy today?"

"Urg, always. He's your son, you know"

"Oh? And what does that mean?"

"It means he thrives on attention"

"Ah, yes. Both Naruto _and_ myself love _Mummy's_ attention~" Minato smirked, causing Kushina to blush further. Snuggling his face into her hair, Minato grinned at his wife's flustered babbling. Eventually Kushina found her voice.

"G-Get off me! You silly twit, you know!" At that moment, Minato could help but bark out a laugh, with soon dissolved into mere chuckles under his wife's pouting expression. With his laughing bout finished, he turned his head upwards slightly, looking at the ceiling.

"So, how about you get some rest, and I'll go watch Naruto?"

"Um, sure. I-I'll go rest then" Minato raised an eyebrow at Kushina's odd facial expression, which appeared a mixture of guilt and sadness. Not wanting to leave his wife in such an odd state, Minato decided to ask quietly:

"Kushina? Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes. I'm fine. Great, really. REALLY" Kushina said loudly as he saw her husband giving her a disbelieving expression. A few seconds, multiple expression's cross Kushina's face. Sadness, Guilt, Happiness, Excitement, Confusion.

Seeing the blonde becoming more suspicious of her by the second, Kushina sighed in defeat. She couldn't stand against Minato, especially when we wore such a gentle expression.

"Minato, I- My parents need me to come home" The end on her sentence disappeared into nothingness, as she saw Minato's face darken slightly. A few moments of silence later, Minato spoke up:

"Really?"

"Huh?" Kushina replied, not quite understanding.

"_Really? _Konoha was just attacked, and the buildings that fell are still in the process of being re-built. We've just gotten a steady schedule with our own son! Why _now_, of all times, would your parent's need you?"

"My mother! She- Well, she's fallen ill. There's a high chance she won't last much longer. My cousins are worried. Worried she will die soon, and no heir will be selected, you know? So, they want me to come home, to see Mother in her final days. They also want to organise the heir, and properly put them in their role. And you know, I _am_ Mother's only child. It might be me…" Minato looked at his wife, disbelieving. After a few moments, Minato looks his wife in the eye.

"Must you? As in, return now? I- I don't-"

"Minato. Please, it's urgent. I'd be gone a month, at most! Please…" Kushina cried out, a few silent tears running down her face.

It was clear to Minato now, Kushina didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay. Konoha was her home just as much as Uzushio. However, the Uzumaki clan was a traditional clan, and Kushina had only been allowed to live in Konoha because it was safer, with jinchuriki hunters in every place of land between the great villages. At the time it was safer to house her in an allied nation, but now, with the head of the clan dying, it was time to pick a new head. If Minato was lucky, Kushina would at least be able to suggest someone else for the position, instead of herself. It's only logical. Being the daughter of the clan head's usually made the child the next heir. However, the Uzumaki's often followed the ruling of 'strongest-warrior-becomes-leader'. Maybe when Kushina revealed she no longer held the Nine-tails, the clan would lose interest. Just maybe.

Minato walked over to his wife, and gave her a tight hug again. Kushina let out a few whimpers, before clinging to Minato in return, note: the scroll she had been holding held tightly closed in one hand.

After standing in the moment for a few minutes, Kushina finally nudged Minato to get more space. Loosening his arms, Minato looked down at his wife and smiled sadly. Placing his forehead against hers, Minato finally said:

"I can get you as much time as you need. This is your family, and I know you love them dearly. Go to your Mother. Support your family. I can give you as much time as you want. I might not have met your relatives, but I know they love and trust you. If you become the head of the clan, tell me. I'll see if I can persuade them to move here to Konoha. Just, keep in contact"

The end of Minato's little speech came out as a whispered pray. Kushina gave the tiniest of smiles, before raising her arms to run her hands comfortingly in her husband's blonde, spiky hair. Seeing Minato grow sadder at the motion, Kushina forced out a laugh, before ruffling his hair, hoping to lighten his mood, if just slightly. Warming at the effect, Minato bent down to give his wife a light kiss, before deepening it and holding her tightly.

An indefinite time passes, as to two hold each other tightly, tears rolling down their faces, whilst their lips smile against one another's. Finally, they separate and Kushina, having packed during the day, gets ready to leave. Just about the open the door, and leave her happy, nearly carefree life, Minato shouts for Kushina to wait, and turning around, she sees her husband in front of her, holding their awake, quietly observing child in his arms. A short talk later, and Kushina leaves, Minato and Naruto following.

The stars twinkled sadly as Kushina, in front of Konoha's main gates, kissed her son on the forehead, and, giving one last chaste kiss to Minato, she took her first steps out of the village. Minato waved in silence, fully aware of the Chunin gate-watchers only a few meters away. When Kushina completely disappeared from sight, Minato turned to the two young Chunin and gave them a sad smile.

"Good morning boys. I'd appreciate if you didn't tell anyone you just saw your Hokage crying, okay?"

Not even waiting for an answer, Minato left with his son in arms, fully intending to curl up with his for the night and find comfort in his small, delicate presence.

-ooooooooooooo-

**Author's Note:**

**Welcome to the follower crew, Tablo23, Blood Moon Mist, Leolion101! Hope everyone enjoys the story as it progresses! Also, thanks for the review Lion! Happy you like it so far!**

**Just to say, Kushina will return in the story, so you don't have to worry!**

**Gaara and a lot of the other characters will be brought in later, so you'll just have to be patient. For now though, I can guaranty snuggly moments with Naruto and Minato, as well as some silly, fun moments with Kakashi. Also Sasuke and Sakura are going to be in the story, as one would expect, but they will be introduced at different times than the canon, and ultimately, the drama regarding Team 7 will be different from the canon as well.**

**I also want to add that some elements of the story have been inspired by other fan-fics, or comics produced on deviantART. So if something seems familiar to you guys, feel free to say so. I don't want to end up being too close to an original idea, so yeah.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope your all having fun!**


	5. Chapter 5

-ooooooooooooo-

It's only been a week since Kushina left her husband and son to return to her clan and family, and the 4th Hokage was already regretting letting his wife go.

For a mere 7 days Minato had to act as both mother and father for his small, unshielded family, which wasn't easy to do, nor was it helped by the cruel advice the elders and advisers spoke to him. The elders, or councilmen as they were referred as, consisted of Mitokado, Utatane, and the late 3rd Hokage, Sarutobi. Out of the three elder shinobi, Sarutobi was the only one to give actual advice. Mitokado and Utatane, though being extremely useful during the days after the Nine tails attack, had become increasingly difficult to handle.

The main issue came about with Naruto, his son and only family still here in Konoha. Despite Minato's wishes, it appeared a lot of the villagers had already grown prejudice opinions against the babe, despite him being but a few weeks old. It all came down to the demon, naturally. Minato had briefly explained during a speech a few days after the attack, that the demon had been sealed away into his son, and that the village was now safe.

Obviously, some did not feel the same.

With Kushina gone, at least for a decent amount of months by his own estimation, the 4th was left to raise Naruto as if nothing was wrong. However, this clashed with his duty as Hokage as he literally did not have the time to be the village leader, a father, _and_ a mother.

With merely a week by himself, Minato was tired beyond belief. His brain barely functioned, and he sat in his office for some time, just dozing with his eyes slowly betraying him, as they closed in attempts to rest. Lucky that Minato had Shikadai Nara, one of his old classmates, to help him finish paperwork. Despite the lazy Nara's help and his grumbled 'Go home. I'll cover you', Minato couldn't shake the feeling of desperation.

Minato had started his 'shift' early, coming in at 7 sharp, and had been working until Shikadai practically shoved him out the door, leaving just gone noon. However, in that tiny expanse of hours, the two banes of his existence had come in several times to make everything more difficult. Those two, Mitokado and Utatane.

**(Earlier that morning)**

Minato was rubbing his sore eyes with the back of his hand, whilst looking down at the papers in front of him which he vaguely knew where asking for planning permission for something or other. Most likely a replacement for another building. Wouldn't surprise him. Before the blonde man had a chance to scower over the words written on the papers, a knock sounded at his door. Looking up briefly, Minato sighed and spoke clearly:

"Come in!"

Much to his pain, in came an elderly pair of individuals, both having enough wrinkles that Minato could count their years like a tree stump. Mitokado looked displeased as usual, though that didn't bother the Hokage. What did was the look on Utatane's face, which wore an expression similar to that of a sour grape. Aged enough to sicken whomever eats it, but pleasant enough looking to appear harmless. Minato knew better.

"Hokage. You appear tired, I see?" Minato didn't bother gracing the women with a response. He'd already dealt with her whining earlier the same week, giving a sweet smile in an attempt to push them away from his life, but clearly that hadn't worked. Sadly for them he wasn't about to play Boy Scout again.

"Is there something I can help you to with? I am rather busy, and I don't have time to appease you" Minato had learned a number of things from his wife. One was the ability of bluntness, mixed with rudeness just enough that most would just awkwardly leave. The tone and words however, did not seem to be blunt enough.

"Minato, you wouldn't be this tired if you just rested. One mustn't tie themselves down so quickly-"

"I am your Hokage, and you will refer to me as such until I believe you may use my name. Furthermore, I shall point out that you attempts to 'take in' my son are laughable. You merely see him as a liability, and for that, I intend to keep him close so that he may not become a weapon. We are not Suna"

Minato's voiced sadden as he finished his little speech. He truly felt for the youngest of the current Kazekage. Gaara, his memory supplied. The boy was also barely a few months old, and with his birth came the subsequent death of his mother. The Kazekage, though being his father, wanted to turn his son into a weapon and thus boldly protested his son's 'strength' to the world. Naruto was very much in the same state know, except Minato wanted nothing more than to hide Naruto away from the world.

They needn't know of his 'strength', and nor does his own village in a matter of speaking. Naruto would be seen as a tool; something to threaten other villages with. An object to destroy enemies, or protect the village. That was what the elders saw.

"Minato. At this moment Konoha is weak. We need everyone on high alert. As the Hokage, you have to set a standard" Spoke Mitokado dispassionately. Mitokado always spoke without any emotion, and that allow irritated the 4th. Losing his patience, Minato decided to bite back.

"Mitokado. Utatane. I could care less about what you believe I must set an example as. At this moment in time, I am a father and my son needs me. I will not put that off because my 'image' is being tarnished. If you'd even call it that. I believe the villagers would be happy to see a 'human' Hokage, someone that has a life and problems, yet can still provide in times of need. As for an example, near all of the shinobi in this village are suffering one loss or another, some family whilst others friends. They are all in pain deep down, but do they let that consume them? No! They strive forward, ignoring the winding trying to push them back!"

Minato paused for a few moments, giving time for his words to sink in.

"I am not perfect. I never will be. I will not become perfect by handing my son over to someone else to 'take care' of. You merely wish for my son to become inhuman like the jinchuriki in Suna, and be used as a tool. So help me I'll remove you from your position if you even suggest it again. And trust me, I can play my cards. I just saved the village from complete destruction from the most deadly Biju in existence, the shinobi and villagers adore me, and my skill is above anyone my age and even older. You cannot replace me"

Allowing his words to float in the air for a few more seconds, Minato then coldly growls:

"Leave."

**(Back to the present)**

Minato had just got back from the office after Shikadai chased him out with a warning to not come back until he slept, and the young Hokage was now seated on the sofa in his home silently staring at the ceiling. He'd been thinking about the days earlier events, and he found himself somewhat embarrassed by his lack of self-control. Oh, Kushina would be laughing at him right now, grinning and stating how 'proud' she was of him and his show of manliness. She always said he was somewhat soft spoken, and needed to grow a backbone and stand up against the elders that constantly nagged him about traditions and such, even before Naruto was born.

Minato let out an exasperated sigh, before placing his palm to his head with a mild headache. He got up out of the chair slowly, to avoid aggravating his sore head, and poured himself a glass of water. Downing the glass in one chug, he refilled it and stepped back from the sink. Allowing a smile to grow across his lips, Minato left the living room and climbed the stairs, fully intending to go to Naruto's room to check on his son.

Opening the door, Minato raised his free hand in greeting to Sarutobi, who was currently sitting in a chair in the right corner of the room, reading a book. Seeing the blonde, Sarutobi nodded in return, offering a smile of his own.

"I presume you are back for the day?" Asked the elder's soft, yet gravelly voice. Minato couldn't help but smile wider.

"Yes. Shika' chased me out of the office, grumbling that I was useless" Sarutobi let out a low-toned chuckle.

"Well, I'm sure he gave you a good list of locations to nap in?" Minato laughed, unable to help himself. Shikadai may have been and classmate and peer, but there was no doubt he was well accomplished in the sleep department. Still laughing, Minato replied:

"He never mentioned any. Shame really, he must have a lot of pointers. Probably can't tell though. Must be a secret only the Nara's can know" The pair laughed for a good few minutes, until the atmosphere thickened and Sarutobi's smile saddened.

"Sensei, how has Naruto been?" Minato asked in a whisper.

"Naruto has been well. He's slept a few times since you left this morning, but he hasn't been possessed too badly. I prevented him from hurting himself though"

Minato walked over to the crib where his young son lay. Unbelievably small hands clutched at the blanket, and his face showed a troubled expression as he slept. Every once in a while his eyes would twitch, yet remain closed, and he'd flail his little arms. Whilst Minato placed his glass down on the nightstand nearby and moved to ease his son's distress, Sarutobi observed him.

He felt bad that he couldn't do much to assist the young Hokage. He could only watch Naruto for so long, and when he couldn't, the 4th had to take Naruto with him. Though not exactly a problem, seeing as Naruto was a surprisingly quiet baby, Minato would fuss him and check him constantly, which made the point of him being at work pointless.

Sarutobi had no idea how Minato would be able to manage, unless… Yes. The old man grinned to himself. Yes, it's about time someone developed some 'life-skills'. He'd have to send them in one day after relaying his idea to Minato. For now, Sarutobi could happily watch father coo over his son for the next few hours.

-ooooooooooooo-

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys, here's another chapter for you! Sorry I took so long!**

**And before you ask, drama involving people distrusting Naruto is still going to exist, though it'll be more on the same lines as Gaara. With someone like the 4****th**** Hokage protecting him, I doubt the villagers would pick a fight with our little blondie, right? Though trust me, I need to get through some baby Naruto and Kakashi torturing before we can move on the meat of the drama. I'll try my best to get all the baby chapters out the way so we can move on to when he's older.**

**I know I could easily time skip to the drama, but we all need some cuddly baby times and besides, it'd be a missed opportunity. **

**Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, any reviews would be great! Though there's now much to review yet, but oh well! Thanks for being awesome, peace out!**


	6. Chapter 6

-ooooooooooooo-

"What?"

Came the quiet, confused exasperation of a silver-haired teenager. Staring at his sensei with one eye, wide and dilated, Kakashi Hatake, the usually stoic and quiet shinobi, and example among examples, for once appeared completely taken aback. His black eye stared directly into the blonde in front of him, as if questioning his elder.

Whilst Kakashi stood gormlessly in front of him, Minato allowed a devilish smirk to emerge over his features. _Oh_ yes, this is fun.

Minato sits at his desk, his chin resting against the back of his hands, as he looks at his student. Leaning on his desk and completely disregarding the important paperwork he know he needs to complete, the young Hokage just decides to saver this moment, and lock it into memory. Behind him, slightly on his left, is Sarutobi who appears just as amused as himself.

Earlier in the day, Sarutobi had come to him for advice on how to take care of Naruto. At first Minato was insulted, and was extremely close to banishing the older man from his office, until Sarutobi's expression turned to a cruel grin, and he merely said: "Kakashi"

Whilst it made little sense at the time, the name had caught Minato off guard, and thus, allowed the old-hokage to explain his idea in depth and Minato, ultimately, agreed to the devilish plan.

Now, Minato was a kind man. He enjoyed pleasing people and helping them achieve their goals. However, Minato was also an oddly sadistic individual, specifically in regards to tormenting his only student. That student just so happened to be Kakashi. It also just happened that Kakashi had very little life-skills, as he never needed them, and now, Minato was going to 'help' his student.

This is why at this moment in time, Minato sits at his desk with a smile, whilst Kakashi stares at him with complete disbelief. _No._

"Um, sensei? I believe you're forgetting who I am-"

"Now, now Kakashi. Everyone has to hold a baby eventually" Minato's grin widens, whilst Sarutobi smiles at the horror on the other shinobi's face.

"I-I don't want kids!" Kakashi exclaimed, sweat dripping down his face and mask.

"Your friends will." Minato responds quickly, marvelling in his student's pain.

"I-What does that have to do with me?!"

"What? Would Uncle Kakashi never pick up his nephew?" Minato hears an amused snort sound from behind him.

"No! I don't- What makes you think I want to baby-sit your kid?!" Minato dropped his hands down to the desk, allowing the silver-haired youth to see his cruel smirk.

"Why, I know you don't want to baby-sit anyone's child. However, I'm your Hokage, and this, my dear student, is your new mission" Minato watches desperation sliver over the other's features.

"You-you can't make me do a mission I have no experience in! Make someone else do it! Hell, even Gai would be a better option!"

"I know. That's why I'm picking you" Minato states bluntly.

Kakashi visibly wilts in front of him, making the Hokage laugh heartily. Sarutobi himself lets out a few quiet chuckles, before lifting his vision back up to the youngster.

"Kakashi. Minato wants you to do this mission, because he trusts you to take care of Naruto. It's an important mission: Guarding and protecting the son of a Hokage. Many would jump at the chance"

_Ah_, there goes the 3rd Hokage; well aware of Kakashi's odd need to complete difficult and highly trusting missions. Kakashi had always adored being praised, but only truly believed he deserved it when it was regarded as a highly sought after job. Minato could see the resistance fade from those black eyes.

Releasing a pained sigh, Kakashi shakes his head and shoves his hands back into his pockets, trying to appear aloof again. After a few moments of amused silence, one of those hands reaches up and scratches the back of his neck.

"Um, sensei?" Amused, Minato replies sweetly:

"Yes, Kakashi?" Letting out a visible shiver, Kakashi gulps and blushes slightly, whilst giving a pouty expression.

"I'll do it. But, only if Sarutobi-sensei, um, helps me adjust to this new schedule…"

A few moments pass in silence as Minato feels a laughing fit about to spill over his carefully maintained control. Not able to handle it anymore Minato bursts out laughing, dropping his head on the desk and holding on tightly to the strong wood. Kakashi's face turns redder, and his pout sours even more so than before.

-ooooooooooooo-

"So, Kakashi?"

"Yes, Sensei?"

"How much exactly do you know about children?"

-ooooooooooooo-

It was with that short, awkward conversation that Sarutobi was beginning to question this idea. Though perfect in theory, in all his years he had never seen anyone so inept to take care of children. The 3rd Hokage had learned two specific things today: 1, Kakashi knew nothing about taking care of children, of any age for that matter, AND 2, Kakashi had no common sense.

For a student highly praised for his skills and strengths on the battle field and his strategies when off the front, Kakashi was one of the most unsocial, difficult person to work with that Sarutobi ever met. Even Orochimaru, his old student, had not been _this_ difficult to work with.

He started with the basics this morning, and those basics entailed 'How-to-hold-a-baby-properly', 'How-to-rock-a-baby', and the most controversial, 'How-to-lay-a-baby-down-again'. At this moment, Kakashi was 'practicing' rocking Naruto on the other side of the small nursery, whilst Sarutobi sat in an armchair, with his face leaning against his hand, trying to soothe a building headache. Even now, Sarutobi was on high alert thanks to Kakashi almost dropping the babe several times earlier in the day.

Sarutobi was regretting this idea.

Though thankfully, Naruto was being extremely patient with the idiotic youth constantly picking him up and rocking him for no reason. Looking up at the teen with big, blue eyes, Naruto's gaze seemed to pierce straight through his calm mask, it truly felt like this baby could _see_ how scared he was at possibly dropping him.

Kakashi had tried to play cool and calm all morning, but inside, he was shaking and terrified he'd hurt this child. Now, his mask was starting to fail with the longer he spent with this baby. _Why was he even doing this?!_

"Sensei. Please-"

"Just put him down."

"But, Sensei-"

"Kakashi! Put Naruto down you twit!" The elder rose out of his seat, rushing over to the youth's side and taking the baby from his arms. Looking the child over for any distress, and seeing none, Sarutobi placed the blonde baby down into his crib.

Sighing, Sarutobi turned to the silver-haired teen, and said in an eerily quiet tone:

"Kakashi, could you go downstairs for a couple of minutes please?"

Not having to be told twice, Kakashi nearly ran out of the room, fearing for his own life. Dragging his hand down his face in a tired, aching motion, Sarutobi took another look at the baby. Naruto's big eyes stared back, as if pleading for attention. Giving a soft smile, Sarutobi gently rubs Naruto's cheek affectionately, before heading down to speak with his 'student'.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Sarutobi sends a displeased look over at Kakashi, who is currently sitting on the sofa uncomfortably. Sighing to himself, the elder walks into the room to sit opposite the youth, who glances at him silently in slight fear.

"Um, Sensei, shouldn't-"

"Naruto will be fine on his own for two minutes. Now, Kakashi, explain to me why this is such a problem?"

Kakashi's gaze shifts a few times, looking clearly distressed, before releasing a breath quietly and calming himself.

"I-I'm not good with children. You know this, and so does Minato-sensei. I don't know why this is so difficult. I just-"

"Kakashi, be honest" Sarutobi interrupts, not allowing the younger to dance around the problem.

"I- Look, I'm worried I'll mess up! Okay?! This is new to me!"

Sarutobi smiles slightly at the sudden outburst, knowing this is the best way to deal with the problem. At least until Minato's is finished at the office.

"I'm aware this is new to you, but usually you don't concerned yourself with making mistakes-"

"I've already made enough mistakes! I promised Sensei I'd never make one again! And accidently hurting Minato's son is not going to be one of them!"

Sarutobi's eyes were widen in momentary shock, before softening just like his entire expression and saddening slightly. Kakashi, though he was loathe to admit, had not had the best luck as a young shinobi. With his teammates dead, and just him and his sensei left, Kakashi was very much out-casted. In fact, despite Minato and his own attempts, Kakashi had only really grown one true friend since his teammate's deaths, and that person was Gai.

Unlikely though it may seem, Gai was very different to Kakashi, yet loved to please and show is strength. He was also surprisingly good with people, despite his odd habits, though most would look past them over time. Gai, in a sense, was the one consistent thing to Kakashi. Gai was constantly fighting him, always loud and undoubtedly loyal, despite Kakashi's attempts to prove that fact wrong.

It amused Sarutobi and Minato to no end that Kakashi found salvation in, what most would describe as, an idiot.

Sarutobi then got a brilliant idea, realising how he could get this plan to work!

"Kakashi, what mission does Gai currently have?"

"What? Oh, um… I think he has a basic mission at the moment. Helping move materials I believe-"

"Go get him"

"Huh?"

"Kakashi. Go get Gai. He's excused from that mission, he now has a more important one"

"You can't just-"

After dragging Kakashi with one hand holding his arm out the front door, Sarutobi shoved the youth outside, and repeated quietly.

"Kakashi. Go get Gai. NOW"

With that, Kakashi was gone. Returning to Naruto and lifting the baby gently into his arms, exciting a happy gurgle, Sarutobi quickly went to Minato to tell him his new idea.

-ooooooooooooo-

"Hello, 3rd Hokage!" Gai greeted cheerfully, looking extremely happy though clearly unaware of the situation he was now dropped into. Especially as right behind him, Kakashi stood sulking and sagging; slowing become uncomfortable. Sarutobi smiled back at the black-haired teen, glad to see him.

"Hello, Gai. I see Kakashi got you here fast?"

"Ah, yes. Kakashi! You said I have a new mission? I can't wait!" Gai gave a dramatic fist-pump, which caused Kakashi to wilt even further into the background. Sarutobi let out a hearty laugh, before shaking his head with amusement.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. And don't worry yourself, I've spoken to the Hokage and you're free from your old mission, though you'll still get you pay check for that one-"

"Of course! I expect nothing less from the 3rd Hokage!" Gai interrupts happily, brimming with pride.

"Gai, please-"

"Ah, no, Kakashi! None of your gloom! Now, what's my mission?"

Shaking his head again, Sarutobi replies:

"Gai. This mission is extremely important, and I am hoping you can assist Kakashi with it, if only temporary"

"I shall do my best!"

"Idiot. You don't know what the mission is yet-"

"Well, it must be good if you need _my_ help" Sarutobi could feel his own smile growing at the dispassionate expression Kakashi was now wearing.

"Now, Gai. I know this might seem like an odd question, but how good are you with children?"

Gai looked slightly taken aback by this question, though he quickly smiled assuringly.

"Sir, I am brilliant with children!"

"He scares them" Kakashi mutters from the background, though no one is listening to him anymore.

"Excellent. Then I presume you know how to take care of children?" Sarutobi queries.

"Um, of what age range sir?"

"Baby. Under a year old"

A moment of silence passes, the air thick with unspoken tension. Kakashi feels like he's about to crack and just leave, but before he can act, Gai responds:

"Oh, that's fine! I'm great with babies! _Wait. _Do you not know how to watch children Kakashi?"

Gai's question, and blank expression jab straight into his friend's discomfort. Kakashi, with sweat slowly running down his face, tries to muster up his confidence and respond with a witty insult, or just a response of some kind. However, Kakashi can't quite find any words to say, or his voice to speak with, so he just stands quietly for a few moments before turning away from Gai completely. Gai looks taken-aback by the sudden movement, but despite this, turns his attention back to Sarutobi.

"So, you need me and Kakashi to watch a baby?"

"Yes. But more specifically, I knew you to help teach Kakashi how to take care of said child"

"Doesn't sound too difficult-"

"This child is the 4th Hokage's son" Kakashi bites at the jump-suit wearing teen, who turns his head to him quickly in disbelief.

"Um, is there anything special I need to-?"

"Oh, no! Kakashi is going to be watching Naruto for the next few months or so, as the 4th is busy during the day, but he just needs some help learning how to handle him. I was hoping, knowing your character, that'd you'd be the person to advise him. So, Gai, how do you feel about a few weeks helping Kakashi here and there?"

"Of course, sir! I'm more than happy to! So, where is the boy- Naruto right? Might as well start now!" Gai leaves for the stairs, dragging Kakashi by the arm who makes a few muttered, half-hearted insults before eventually giving in. _Yes_, this was a good decision.

-ooooooooooooo-

A few weeks after Kakashi was put in charge of Naruto, and Gai had been called in to help his friend, Minato was sitting comfortably in his office, checking all his paperwork and his schedule several times before satisfying himself that everything that was planned had been done, and sorted. Looking out the window, Minato saw the skies slightly pink glow and sat quietly admiring the scene before him.

After giving himself a few minutes to gaze at the sky longingly, and day-dream about his wife, Minato rose from his chair and tidied away his documents and scrolls. Taking one last look at everything and making sure everything was in place, Minato called one of the Anbu down and reported that he was off for today, and happily ran home from roof to roof.

Once home, Minato entered the usually silent house and was surprised to hear a radio quietly playing in the background. Moving into the main living-room, Minato stopped for a moment and smiled warming at the sight laid before him.

On the floor, in front of one of the sofas was Kakashi, curled up and sleeping like a child, whilst Naruto leaned against his side, chewing his thumb happily. On the sofa sat Gai, looking tired but extremely pleased with himself as always. Giving a good-hearted wave, Gai stood up and lifted the small baby from his position and walked over to his father. Minato thanked Gai and took his son, smiling at the blonde's happy gurgle as he looked at his father.

Silently, Gai shook his silver-haired friend awake, and though still half-asleep, dragged him from the building with a guilty smile on his face. Giving one last wave to the adult, Gai left with his friend and attempted to get him home, to sleep, fast.

_Well_, that plan certainly worked.

-ooooooooooooo-

**Author's Note:**

**Yay, next chapter! Sorry for the wait! 3**

**Yep, Kakashi torture over. Well, for **_**now**_** :D **

**I only have on more chapter with baby Naruto planned, and that involves some cute daddy-baby time. But soon, so we can get to the story. Though trust me, this fanfiction is going to be long, as I need to introduce various elements before he even becomes a genin!**

**I'll say now, if you're looking for a short fanfic with a quick hook-up between Naruto and Gaara, you're not going to find it here. Seriously, this thing is long, and I can't shorten it!**

**Anyway, thanks for all you peeps supporting me, and I hope you liked this chapter. Extra-long for a change!**


	7. Chapter 7

-ooooooooooooo-

It was a warm, slightly breezy day in Konoha, and for once in a long time, Minato was feeling calm and content. With Kakashi and Sarutobi taking turns to watch Naruto during the day, Minato finally found the time to catch up on sleep, and get himself into a much more regular schedule, and finish all the important paperwork he had left pile up in his exhaustion. It was all thanks to Gai, who despite his outside appearance, was well versed in infant knowledge and he was able to help Kakashi develop the skills to take care of the young baby, if only for a few hours each day. As the paperwork began to lessen, and the hours spent in the office descended, Minato had begun to return home early so as to free up Kakashi's time for other, more important missions. Even though Minato wished he could torment Kakashi for eternity, he'd doubt he'd get away with abusing the jonin-favourite for long, and so shoved him off to complete work more _expected_ of his occupation.

Minato was lying on his back within the small garden space he, no, _they_ had. Next to him was Naruto, safely curled up in a blanket, and laid comfortably in a soft basket. Naruto had made very little noise even since he was born, clearly a quiet baby, but even so the young father wasn't willing to have the boy too far away from observation. Though guilty about having to watch his son like a hawk, Minato had quickly become aware of the pains Kushina had dealt with everyday whilst she was here.

As Naruto's seal was weak, whenever he feel asleep he became somewhat possessed by the Kyubi, a fact that though irritating could not be avoided, especially seeing how delicate the boy was. However, the biggest issue was that Naruto would not have control of his own body, instead leaving it to the whims and enjoyment of the demon trapped inside. Kyubi tried in many ways to cause Naruto pain, the biggest being thrashing. The demon learned that Naruto couldn't really scratch himself as of yet, because he hadn't developed the muscle strength yet, and his nails were still too weak and soft. So, that left the beast to shake the defenceless child's arms madly; slamming them into nearby objects and the surroundings.

Minato would always listen out for rustling coming from the basket Naruto, which the boy was kept in most of the time, and though it pained him, Minato had on several occasions had to wake the aching baby just to make it stop.

Those were the rare occasions where Naruto did cry, and it broke Minato's heart every time his son was woken up from his sleep. The blonde parent was already imagining his son would be stuck with this problem for a long time, and he truly believed his son would develop some kind of sleeping problem. Quite possibly insomnia, if these 'possessions' got any worse.

Brushing off the darker thoughts that swarmed the young father's mind, Minato turned gently to look at the basket beside him, gazing at it wondrously. He was _really_ a father! It'd taken some time to sink in truly, but now, Minato couldn't feel prouder. However, with that thought came another sad realisation.

Kushina.

So far Kushina had not written or sent any kind of communication to Minato or Konoha, since she'd left to Water Country. Truthfully, Minato hoped she'd return soon, or that she'd change her mind or rebel against her clan. However, one sad, extremely quiet part of himself told him she wouldn't.

Though Kushina was far from traditional, and as far from obedient as anyone he'd ever met, Minato also knew her family meant the world to her. However, Minato continued to dream that Kushina would return, a huge, beautiful grin on her face, proclaiming she was her to stay. The days could not pass sooner for the lovesick Hokage.

Sitting up slowly, and manoeuvring his arms so he could lean backwards slightly, Minato admired his son gurgling to himself from his basket. The baby was staring curiously up at his own hands, which were stuck out in front of him, a look of intense concentration clear on his features.

Chuckling softly at the expression on the boy's face, Minato sat up properly and gently took hold of the two hands, before pulling them apart slowly and smiling down at the two blue eyes looking back at him.

Naruto had the same face as his mother's, round and chubby with rosy, puffy cheeks. They seemed to puff up larger when Naruto gave a tiny tug on his arms, and they remained in place regardless. It appeared to the whole world that a few months old Naruto, was pouting at his father. Seeing the baby's slowly developing frustration, Minato decided to take Naruto back inside.

Standing up and grasping the basket handle securely, Minato carefully moved back inside and walked upstairs to his bedroom, taking the baby with him. Inside the room was a series of memorabilia, mainly photos of himself with various people hanging on the far wall. Two photos on the wall showed a juvenile Minato alongside two other genin, with a Jonin standing beside them. The first showed their official photo they took for recognition, and the other was a photo taken a few years later, after they all became Chunin, as were enjoying a treat with their sensei. Another, cleaner photo showed a teenage Minato alongside a tall, long haired man wearing traditional garbs, who donned a huge grin and a cheery disposition. A few framed photos showed Kushina and Minato, out on several dates and doing romantic things. Minato had recently moved their wedding photo down to the living room, where it stood adoringly on the mantle, clear for all to see.

Placing the baby down, and gently lifting the boy into his arms, Minato sat down on the futon laid on the floor. After moving the empty basket out of the way and laying Naruto down gently, Minato moved to flick the evening-lamp on and half closed the curtains. As he did so, Minato admired the beautiful blue sky, and the stars twinkling brightly in the darkness. Watching the stars float across the sky, Minato thought back to earlier times when he watched the sky before. Happier times, like with his students or Kushina; back when everyone was happy. On the mantel Minato leaned his crossed-arms against, stood a singular, old photo mirroring a photo on the wall. However instead of Kakashi's old sensei and teammates, it was replaced with a familiar group of people. In the foreground were three young teens, all of which wearing their recently obtained hitai-ate's (forehead-protectors). A brown-haired girl stood in the middle, smiling happily at the photographer, with two boys at her sides. On the left was an ebony-haired boy, with short, spiky hair and a pair of orange goggles covering his eyes, and on the right was a silver-haired boy, with slightly longer spiky hair than the other, and a mask covering his lower face. Kakashi Hatake really hadn't changed much in the few years. Behind the young teens was a past version of Minato, smiling uncomfortably whilst holding the two boys, as if trying to prevent them from fighting. Looking down at the tearing, stained photo, Minato allowed a sad smile to overtake his expression. After a few moments of admiring the night sky, Naruto's gurgling brought him out of his sadder thoughts.

Looking down at his son, he smiled at the giggling boy before lifting him playfully in his arms and raising him above him. This action caused more playful laughs and wiggling toes from the baby, only prompting Minato to further childishness. Dropping to the floor, albeit safely to shield Naruto, Minato pulled him close and began to tickle his little feet and hands, causing even more laughs to leave the boy's mouth.

After playing with Naruto for what felt like an eternity, Minato stopped his tickling assault and instead laid down softly with Naruto clutched tightly in his arm, whilst the other moved the support his head, as he watched the boy attempt to wiggle free.

Laughing slightly, Minato allowed his head to drop to the futon surface, and let it eyelids droop. Calmly dozing and thinking over the day and everything that had happened, Minato was fully happy that he'd done as much as he needed to today, and that today would be another trying, yet fruitful adventure. He just hoped Shikadai and Hiashi would stop harassing him soon…

_Tug!_

Minato opened his eyes at the sensation, only to stare back into shining blue eyes watching him in silence. A few moments of eye-contact over, Naruto gave another tug of his father's long blonde hair, and begun to softly play with it.

Minato, still lost in the moment, stared blankly in confusion at his son, before smiling in a defeated manner and allowing his son to torment him.

Even after a few experimental tugs and a few winces, Minato found himself surprisingly content with everything. He found an odd, unplaceable joy in his son's actions. His odd fascination with his father's hair, and his deep concentration as he played and pulled and tangled the already untidy locks.

After a couple of minutes, the tugging stopped and Minato noticed the unmistakable breaths of his sleeping son. Warmth rising in his heart Minato left Naruto in place, with his little arms rapped gently around his father's neck as he slept, and Minato, slowly but surely, found himself drifting off to sleep.

-ooooooooooooo-

**Author's Note:**

**Yay! Another chapter and this time I got it finished quickly, so we can all move on 3**

**But anyway, here, have some cute Minato and Naruto cuddles :)**

**This was a short chapter, but nothing was really planned for this chapter aside from Minato and Naruto time, so I didn't really need a long chapter like the last one. Regardless though, I hope this worked out to satisfy your baby needs!**

**So, next chapter we'll be having our first time-skip!**

**I kind of need to do some old-fashion research to find some facts before hand, but otherwise expect an older Naruto next chapter!**

**Thanks everyone for reading, you're awesome and I hope your enjoying this! Once again, any reviews you'd got would be appreciated! **


	8. Chapter 8

-ooooooooooooo-

**Six Year Time Skip**

-ooooooooooooo-

The quiet, harmonious chirping of birds woke the citizens of Konoha from their nights rest. The streets were only just beginning to spring to life with activity, though mainly shinobi of all ages were about, heading to their duties and jobs. Some of the small, family stores were opening along the streets, as the shinobi began their days, collecting tools or essentials for the rest of the day, some even buying various teas to wake them from their half-asleep state.

Very rarely were children awake this early unless they attended the Academy, a place where the youth of Konoha could learn and train to become shinobi. Even so, many of those individuals preferred to wait a late as possible, before sending themselves to class. So as the adults, and elder teens wake about the village early in preparation for the day, the younger shinobi, or shinobi-in-training are hiding out in their rooms, ignoring the sunlight pushing through their curtains and blinds.

Even rarer than the Academy students waking up early, was the 4th Hokage waking up late. He had always been an early riser, even as a child much to the displeasure of his friends. However, whilst the streets began to bustle with activity, and the Administrative Division of the academy began to fill with shinobi on duty, the 4th Hokage had still not appeared.

In a small section of Konoha a long line of old-fashion, traditional town-houses still stood, with wooden walls and shoji as opposed to the more modern stone and wooden doors used today. However, some of the houses had gained upgrades over the years, and one of those homes in particular was the residence of the 4th Hokage.

This home had a clear separate upper, and lower floor. The walls of the building had been renovated several years ago, replacing the old wooden with stone bricks, and covering them lightly in plaster to smoothen the walls rougher edges. However, whilst the lower floor had a simple layer of plaster to cover the bricks that gave a more concrete appearance to the wall, the upper floor had wooden panelling around it, reminiscent of the older townhouses along the same street. At the front of the house was a reinforced shoji door, with a small paper lantern sitting to the side of the front step. On the wall besides the shoji was a small, white sign which simply read: 'Namikaze'.

On the upper floor was a rather sparse room, with merely a small collection of photos hanging on one wall section of wall. A large futon was laid out on the floor, and from the spec of blonde hair poking into view, it was clearly occupied. Quietness remained for a couple of minutes, whilst the breathing of the room's owner could be heard. However, that wasn't to last…

*Knock*

A singular knock sounded at the oak door, causing a slight shuffle to occur from the sleeping blonde.

*Knock*

A second attempt, but this time slightly harsher and louder. Still, a half-aware shuffle was its response. The intruder, displeased by being ignored, opened the door silently and stepped into the room.

They walked on silent feet to the side of the futon, and stared down at the sleeping figure for a few moments. As if contemplating something.

Seeming to come to a decision, the intruder sat down besides the futon and, facing away from the sleeper, leaned against them. No movement followed, nor any excess noise. Everything remained quiet, and peaceful.

…

Another five minutes passed, before finally the intruder had had enough waiting. Repositioning their feet to have a firmer hold on the ground, they forced their back into the sleeper before saying aloud:

"Dad, you're late for work"

No response.

"DAD!"

A response. Shooting into an upright position, effectively knocking his son over, Minato stared blankly ahead for a few seconds before noticing his son's presence. Turning his head slightly to face him, and rubbing the dust out of his eyes, the 4th Hokage smiled sleepily.

"Mornin' Naruto. Why are you-?"

"You're late" Was the youngster's reply, as he looked at his father with a displeased expression.

It took a few moments for the adult's brain to catch up with him, but upon realisation, Minato jumped up in a hurry and began to rush around the room frantically.

"Oh, for the love of- Naruto, go put some new clothes on! You were wearing those yesterday!" With that, Minato pushed his son out of the room, so that he himself could change. The only response was a slight growl from the youngster, but that was quickly cut off by the closed door.

Grabbing his ordinary clothing which consisted of a dull blue jumpsuit, a flak jacket dyed Konoha green, and his blue sandals, Minato quickly dressed before heading downstairs. Running down, he found his son sitting grumpily at the kitchen table, staring at the doorway as if he knew his father had been coming down.

"Oh, you're up! Sorry, Naruto, Dad was busy last night on paperwork so-"

"It's okay, it's you who's going to be in trouble. Not me" Naruto's expression brightened, as he grinned mischievously at his father.

"Naruto, behave yourself. I don't want to be dragged out of work today because you're having 'fun'." Minato sighed, knowing that his warnings rarely meant anything to his son anyway. Sure, Naruto adored his father and respected him all the same, but the young blonde had a problem with 'rules', and following them regardless of the consequences. As he waited for his son to respond, Minato set about making breakfast. Two slices of toast each, with a fried egg to give them the extra push. With Naruto having not replied yet, Minato busied himself to get all of the items he needed, and placed them on one of the white kitchen counters. He'd just slotted the bread slices into the toaster when Naruto finally replied:

"But what if I made a friend today?"

Minato flinched slightly, though he didn't mean to. Despite his best efforts, and even some increasingly stern warnings to the councilmen and elders of the village, Naruto had still developed a 'demon child' image. Something Minato had longed to avoid.

Whilst Minato had been focusing on the village and everything that encompassed his Hokage duties, alongside making sure Naruto kept to a proper schedule as he grew and aged, the councilmen had made it their soul mission to begin spouting nonsense about his son.

Minato had, truthfully, intended to hide Naruto from the village for a long time, but realising that that wasn't fair on Naruto, he'd decided against it. So with Kakashi developing a bond with the boy, though he was loathe to admit it, Minato had told Kakashi to take Naruto around the village and give him the chance to meet other children and villagers, in hopes that he'd make a friend eventually.

However, the councilmen had been more effective than he'd thought. From Kakashi's reports, parents would hurriedly pull their children away from Naruto, as if _he_ was the demon. Though Minato had tried to explain Jinchuriki to his fellow adults and parents, it appears they were loathe to acknowledge his word. They'd already been sucked in by the biased words of the councilmen. Even Sarutobi, try that he might, was unable to sway anyone's opinion, which made Minato even sadder. Despite being Hokage, the most respected member of the village, he could do nothing about the issue no matter how hard he tried.

"Well, if you make a friend I'd love to know, Naruto" Minato smiled half-heartedly. He truly felt his son was missing some crucial development, just because no children were willing to play with him. Though the status of Hokage meant so much to the villagers, Minato couldn't force the children to interact with Naruto. Nor could he force kinder attitudes into the crueller individuals of the village. All he could do was sit, and watch his son try to interact with others.

So far, Naruto had made a break-through, of sorts. Surprisingly, Naruto socialised fairly well with adult shinobi around him. There was of course the obvious, Kakashi and Gai who had remained stable factors in Naruto's childhood, but he also grew the respect and interest of other shinobi within the village, such as Iruka Umino.

Iruka was a 16 year old Chunin, and at first had been extremely resistant to Naruto's attempts to talk to him. However with the assistance of Kakashi Iruka had warmed up to Naruto, though not enough to truly be comfortable around him yet.

He had, however, been one of the few to actually get Naruto a gift. Naruto got plenty of gifts from Minato himself, as the young father often felt the need to entertain his bored son in any way he could and as he couldn't be around all day, Minato had resorted to getting Naruto gifts regularly. Most of them were comic books and plush toys, though they rarely held Naruto's attention for long. Kakashi had given Naruto various things. _Things_ Naruto didn't need yet! A variety of kunai, shurikens, and even some basic ninja-skill scrolls. Minato had been less than pleased. Gai had also given gifts, though they were more _entertaining_ than Kakashi's. Some more plush toys and action figures, though Gai himself was currently caught up in his own 'student', and thus had somewhat disappeared as of recent.

But no. Whilst Minato, Kakashi and Gai had been giving Naruto toys to entertain him with, Iruka had given him a simple, goofy sleeping hat, despite the irony of it.

Naruto's sleeping habits and the nightly possessions had been well 'documented' by the councilmen, and loudly boosted throughout the village. Though Minato had wanted Naruto's sleeping habits to remain secrets, due to the violence of the possessions, the councilmen had thought it 'necessary' to announce those facts to the entire village. However, whilst Minato's huge displeasure for the councilmen grew day after day, he'd also realised there was a much bigger problem than that. Around 2 years ago, when Naruto was 4, Minato had woken up in the middle of the night as usual, and had moved to Naruto's room to check on him, only to find the boy wide awake reading a book. 2 years later though, much like an insomniac, Naruto had gotten to a stage of refusing to sleep entirely. Though Kyubi had continued to possess Naruto's sleeping form on many an occasion, he had also become much more malicious with his host. Actively creating nightmares to terrify the boy, Naruto had woken up more than once with a scream and a thumping headache.

So, Naruto avoided sleeping at all costs. Minato's face saddened as he remembered the increasingly dark lines around his son's eyes, that showed all the signs of his insomnia.

"Dad"

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing?" As Minato had been thinking, he'd slowly been twirling a spoon from last night in his fingers. Realising what he'd been doing, Minato hastily threw the spoon into the nearby sink, and turned to his son. Picking up one of the eggs from the counter, he held it carefully in one hand.

"So, you have any plans today, Naruto?"

"Hmm. Oh yeah! Me and Kak-shi are going to edge of the forest!"

"Ka-ka-shi. Oh? What's over there?" Minato questioned as he turned back to the counter, set a frying pan down and lit the gas, before moving to crack the egg in his hand against the counter's edge.

"There's some long, feathery flowers I want to grow! So I need to go get them!" Naruto responded enthusiastically as a crack sounded from across the room. Pouring some oil into the frying pan, and them dropping the egg white into the pan, Minato's face held an expression of confusion. Taking another egg, Minato responded:

"Flowers? Why do you want to pick flowers?" Minato asked concerned.

"No! I don't want to pick flowers! That's what girls do! I want to grow some flowers, so I can prove him wrong!"

"Prove who wrong?"

"That Uchi boy who said I can't take care of anything!" Uchi? Who are the Uchi- _Ah_. He means Uchiha.

"You mean Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Yeah, that jerk! He's really mean and he thinks he's better than me. I'll prove him wrong! I don't have to hide behind a big brother!"

Minato chuckled softly, thinking of the two Uchiha heirs, Sasuke and Itachi. Those boys are decidedly close despite their differences, and it was rare to see Itachi without his brother trailing behind. It was practically expected.

"So, you want to prove Sasuke wrong, huh?"

"Yeah!" Naruto responded loudly, pride causing him to puff up childishly.

"Hmm"

"You believe in me, right Dad?"

"Of course, Naruto. You and Kakashi best get plenty of soil though, we don't have much good dirt in our garden"

"I know. Kak-shi's bringing a bucket!" Naruto laughed loudly, whilst Minato finished making their breakfast with a much happier smile. Laying the food down on the table it didn't take long for Naruto to dig in, and completely destroy his meal. Minato chuckled softly, whilst he ate his own.

After finishing his food, Minato took his and Naruto's plates over to the sink and put them in alongside the spoon from earlier. Excusing himself, Minato returned upstairs to collect the rest of his daily uniform, those being his hitai-ate and Hokage's coat, before checking on his son once more, who was now sitting on the sofa in the living room.

"You got everything you need?"

"Yep!"

"Want me to bring anything back after work?"

"Hmm. Oh, can you get me some chips, please?"

"Haha, sure. Behave yourself until Kakashi arrives, okay?"

"Yeah. I know. Wish he'd be on time for once…" Naruto pouted to himself, as he leaned his cheek against his hand, whilst his other hung down his side.

Chuckling, Minato gave Naruto's hair a playful ruff and with a quick peck on the forehead, Minato rushed off to his job, or more truthfully, away from his embarrassed son who shouted at him as he left.

-ooooooooooooo-

**Author's Note:**

**So, I had to do a bit of math for this chapter. I had to check to see everyone's age, and thus I found Iruka would have been 16 when Naruto was 6, and Kakashi would have been! So yeah, four year age gap between those two. I also found out Minato was 24 when Naruto was born, meaning he'd now be 30! Man, time flies fast!**

**Anyway, to help you guys out I'll leave a list of character ages down below in case you get lost later on!**

**Naruto &amp; Sasuke – 6 years old**

**Iruka – 16 years old**

**Kakashi &amp; Gai – 20 years old**

**Minato &amp; Kushina – 30 years old**


	9. Chapter 9

-ooooooooooooo-

Naruto Uzumaki was happily trotting down the lane with Kakashi a few meters behind him, occasionally looking around as if surveilling the area. He'd been lucky so far: no villagers had been trailing them, or acting out of ordinary. Not that they saw many anyway, this was a quiet lane which was only really used by the shinobi of the village, and even then, not usually around this time of the day.

Most genin headed to training around 6, or 10, as they were much quieter times than anything else, alongside their sensei's often needing to stop by the office first. He'd have been curious if he _had_ spotted someone walking the same path. However, the reason they took this path was because Naruto preferred it. The dirt trail was quiet, with not much traffic, and the likelihood of people gawking at him was much less likely.

The pair were currently heading to the forest, or more specifically the thirty-first training ground, which is where Naruto and he had found some fern-like plants a few ventures ago. After a short run in with the Uchiha boy, Sasuke, the young blonde had become determined to prove him wrong, and if that meant catering to a flower then so be it. Oh, pardon, a _plant_.

As the pair travelled over an old fashion bridge into the shinobi training grounds, they 'loudly' walked towards their location. Though Kakashi had asked if the area would be free of genin or shinobi training, Kakashi wanted to make sure that their presence was at least obvious, that way making sure they didn't get ambushed by mistake.

Naruto, the whole walk, had been humming a pleasant little tune that he had stuck in his head, and was happily looking around as if mimicking his 'baby-sitters' behaviour.

"Kak-shi" Asked Naruto, curiosity laced in his voice.

"Hm?" Murmured Kakashi, dropping his attention from their surroundings and instead looking down at the young blonde.

"What's a, ku-nai?" Naruto's head angled slightly to the side, as he walked backwards.

"A kunai?" Was Kakashi's initial response.

"Hmmm, a kunai is a weapon you throw at enemies" The silver-haired man stated simply. Naruto continued to look at him for a couple of seconds, before saying:

"Like a shur-i-ken?" He said slowing, as if trying to perfect the pronunciation.

"Yes, like a shuriken. Kunai are longer though, like a knife with a handle"

"Ahhhh"

A few moments of silence held, before Naruto's voice picked up again. Kakashi sighed quietly, as he listened to Naruto ravel on about a comic he read recently and how good it was. This was going to be a _long_ walk.

-ooooooooooooo-

Later…

-ooooooooooooo-

"Hello, Minato-"

"Lord Hokage, if you would, Utatane" The blonde shinobi replied, cutting off the elder woman. Not looking up from his paperwork, Minato heard a sigh come from the direction of the door before he heard a pair of footsteps enter his office. _Great, both of them._

"Hello, Councilmen. I'm busy at the moment, so I'd appreciate it if you'd come back later"

"Not today, Minato. We need to speak with you about the boy" Spoke up Mitokado, his voice emotionless as ever. Regardless, Minato knew he'd have to try harder to scare them out of his office.

"With all due respect, Mitokado, I have more important things to discuss than your childish whining"

"Now you listen here-" *THUD*

Minato slammed his fist into the table suddenly, loudly and with enough force to silence the elder man. After a few seconds, the young Hokage lifts his hand and continues to read his paperwork.

"Please, Minato. Listen to us. You can't seriously be considering making your son a shinobi"

"Good. At least one of you is now aware he _is_ my son. And to answer your question: Yes. He'll be trained as a shinobi, just like everyone else his age"

"But Minato, he could harm the other students-"

"They would be shinobi-in-training, yes? Then they will learn to not get hurt"

"Minato, you're starting to sound oddly familiar to Sabaku Rasa-" Mitokado interrupted Utatane, before being cut-off.

"Compare me to the war-mongering 4th Kazekage and I promise the Anbu will have a field day covering up your corpse" Minato warned, only now looking up from his paperwork to stare deathly at the elder man, brutal honesty coming through his voice with a sharpness unknown to the usually gentle Hokage.

Clearly aware of the dangerous situation, Utatane tired to calm the situation.

"Minato, we are merely concerned. I'd not go so far as to compare your response to Rasa, of all people…" the elder woman sent a quick glare over to her fellow councilman "…However, my concern is more focused on Naruto's ... 'situation'. Perhaps he should have additional training, if just to put him a few steps ahead of his peers. He has an unbelievable power, Minato, and-"

"Before you continue, Utatane, I have a question for you. Do you believe I would allow my son to become unstable?"

"Of-Of course not, Minato-"

"Then you have my word, that when Naruto begins to attend the Academy, that I will spend some time with the boy training him to control his strength. Unlike Rasa, I will not allow my son to be moulded into some kind of tool. Much less by the guidance of you, Mitokado or Danzo." Minato stated clearly, watching the councilmen with an unreadable gaze. After a few moments, Minato picked up his pen again and returning his gaze to his papers.

"Now as I've appeased your worries, _again_, I ask you to _kindly_ excuse yourself from my office"

"MINATO!"

Minato's vision shifted upwards to the male across the room, with eyes as cold as ice.

"Yes, Mitokado? Do you need something?" The blonde said coldly, his tone as flat as stone.

"Your _son_, no matter what you say, is a _demon_, just like Gaara! He is a beast, locked in a child form!"

"Gaara, as you are well aware, _no doubt_, is emotionally and mentally abused by BOTH Rasa, _and_ Shukaku! No wonder the poor boy is bloodthirsty: a sadistic, vicious demon on one side, and a cruel, unsympathetic father on the other. The boy is raised in chaos, and thus, creates what he knows-"

"And Naruto is the same!"

"HE IS NOT! The only grounds you have are his night-terrors, which he no longer has as he refuses to sleep! Never once has my son attacked, maimed or even spoken a cruel word against anyone! He's only ever harmed himself! Just maybe if Naruto was by himself, with no family or friends, he would have been raised by the villagers unapologising, moronic attitude and _would_ of become the demon you all believe him to be. HOWEVER, I am here I refuse to have my son nurtured by this village. I am his father, and it is my job to raise him. If he was like Gaara, than I would be flouncing him after like a weapon, just like Rasa is doing with Gaara! I'm sorry, when was the last time I threatened the other villages with my son?!"

"Lord Hokage, please calm down!" Utatane cried, trying to soothe the tense atmosphere. However, it felt like all she could do is watch, like a scene playing in a film. Though she was considering calling some Anbu, just to limit the possible violence hanging in the air.

"Mitokado, stop it! This is not Suna!" She tried one last desperate attempt to stop the otherwise inevitable.

"Then what are we, Utatane? We might as well be, seeing the arrogance in our leader-"

Minato was up, and standing from his chair, his face livid and burning with rage. His form tense, clawing tightly onto the edges of his desk with his hands; doing everything he could to prevent himself from releasing his anger.

In a flash Utatane called for some Anbu to help calm the situation, and as is expected, the Anbu saw their Hokage's rage and the target of his distress. Despite being called by the councilmen, it was clear this situation was not about calming the councilmen's aggressor. It was about getting them _away_ from the aggressor before he lost his temper. And in those few moments, the aggressor was the 4th Hokage himself.

Not foolish enough to go against the Hokage, one of the elder Anbu members spoke clearly:

"Forgive us, Lord Hokage. We believed it was something else. Would you like us to-"

"Quickly remove of the _dear_ councilman currently standing in my office, after being warned to leave and yet continued to aggravate me to this point of rage? Yes, I'd very much appreciate if you saved Mitokado's life so I don't have to explain to Sarutobi why _his_ office is covered in blood"

Without another word, or any further clarification, the Anbu members quickly took off whilst two whisked the elder male away, not wanting to stick around. Though the Anbu who'd spoken before remained, patiently waiting further orders. Despite being assigned to the councilmen, he had a duty to his Hokage, and if that meant dealing with his wrath for a couple of minutes, so be his fate.

"Lord Hokage, is there anything else I can assist you with?"

"No, Ox, that is all. Utatane, I believe it is best if we discussed this at a later point. For now, though, could you kindly speak with your fellow councilmen? Thank you" With the one remaining Anbu gone, and the Hokage's dismissal, the elder woman left with a quiet goodbye and apology, before closing the door silently behind her.

Minato, emotionally exhausted from that verbal battle, sends one of his own Anbu to call in his back-up.

Around 10 minutes later, footsteps and grumbled complaints can be heard outside the room. Moments later the door opens casually and reveals Shikaku, who gives Minato a disapproving look before taking in Minato's disheveled appearance. Raising an eyebrow, the scared man continues to watch the blonde for a couple of minutes, before giving a disbelieving groan.

"Minato" The man only needed one word to both: mock his old classmate, and groan in dispassionate irritation.

"Shikaku, mind taking over my shift?" Minato asked nervously, scratching the back of his head and ruffling his untidy hair. The other man just continued to look at him, expression unmoving. Eventually though, his curiosity got the better of him.

"What did you do this time?"

"I shouted at Homura"

"Urg, you're useless" Came the defeated groan. Minato just bowed his head, looking desperate for an escape. Sighing, Shikaku responded:

"Just get out of here, okay? I'll watch your damn office"

"You're awesome, Shika!" Cheered Minato, gaining an angry look in return.

"Leave, before I change my mind. I could be with Shikamaru and Yoshino right now, you know?"

"Yeah, but that's your fault for being my friend"

"I'm weighing up my options"

"Pfft, see you later Shikaku! Thanks again, I promise to behave myself in future!" Minato called in fake cheerfulness, still feeling slightly tense, but at least happy Shikaku's consist pessimism about everything was always there to bring him back to reality.

"You better! Kami forbid you make my life easy" Shikaku muttered to himself and the empty office, as the blonde left to burn off some steam.

Shuffling over to the desk, Shikaku sat down in the chair and though for a moment, he appeared to read the documents laid out before him, his demeanour quickly changed, and instead he picked up the files without barely a second glance, and set them in a small pile at the edge of the desk. He then moved the larger pile that was untouched, and moved it onto the floor beside the desk. After clearing off the desk space, he lounged back in the chair and put his feet up, fully intent on not doing anything and instead just taking the blame if Sarutobi or anyone else came in looking for Minato. _Time to weight up those options._

-ooooooooooooo-

Back at the Namikaze's…

-ooooooooooooo-

"Yes! Now I have everything I need!" Yelled Naruto triumphantly, despite the somewhat dull look his grey-haired guardian was giving him.

"Really?" Kakashi said sarcastic, all positivity drained from his voice after having to listen to how 'un-girly' this was for hours on end. The continued to watch the boy regardless; trying to figure out how he could fix this.

"Yeah! I'll prove Sasuke right, and then I'll be the coolest!"

"Of course he's the only name you get right, and I don't think that's how it works"

"Sure it is! If the bad guy says he's stronger than you, then all you have to do is beat him up! So, if Sasuke says I'm stupid, I just have to show him I can take care of things all by myself, and then he'll look stupid!"

"You know, I wonder where you get your intelligence from…"

"Dad says I'm plenty smart!"

"… We could not get you to the Academy sooner"

"Shut up Kak-shi! I'm smart, and I don't care what you think! Now help me dig this hole!"

"I think you're doing plenty fine digging your own hole by yourself…" Came the muttered response, though Kakashi did reluctantly move forward to assist the youngster in planting his 'plants-not-flowers-why-would-he-grow-flowers?' before excusing himself to read his 'literature'.

-ooooooooooooo-

**Author's Note:**

**So to make the story and characters easier to follow, I'm just going to presume Shikaku was the same age as Minato. That includes the whole Ino-Shika-Cho trio, actually. I doubt it, but I like to think they all knew each other, seeing as there all parents to the next generation and all that. But anyway, this chapter's already long enough for my tastes, so instead, we're going to end it here for the moment **

**No worries, we'll be introducing Sasuke into the plot real soon! And thus, more funsies for all of us! **

**Any reviews would be most appreciated, even though there's not much to judge yet **** However, if you feel I'm being a little too harsh or kind to any characters, please tell me! I don't want to be too harassing or hate-mongering. **

**Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it so far!**

**Naruto &amp; Sasuke – 6 years old**

**Iruka – 16 years old**

**Kakashi &amp; Gai – 20 years old**

**Minato, Kushina &amp; Shikaku – 30 years old**


	10. Chapter 10

-ooooooooooooo-

A few days after the Previous Chapter…

-ooooooooooooo-

Naruto was sitting by himself on a bridge, resting after recently escaping the vigilant eyes of his 'carer'. Having planned to escape from Kakashi for several days now, Naruto had put his plan into motion earlier that morning, and was now happily by himself.

The peace and quiet of Konoha was surprising, especially with such a heavily populated village. However, that was the joy of the village. Although there are many shinobi and clans within the village, there are much more ordinary individuals which live and go about their business without even considering a shinobi life-style. This meant a lot of the villagers stayed close to the centre, rarely wandering out of the market streets and instead clinging together in tight-knit groups in the heart of the city.

Regardless though, Naruto enjoyed the quiet that the shinobi world gave you. Being able to sit and watch the leaves fall, and float down the river? It beat reading another comic book, or running around town again by himself.

Sometimes, Naruto just felt the need to sit. To acknowledge reality. Sasuke had been right about one thing, and that's that Naruto had no friends. Sure, things could be worse he supposed silently, but sadly Naruto couldn't think of an example, so he just remained aware of his loneliness.

Not matter what Kakashi and Minato said, the pain still burned with a dull ache. Not enough to leave him bedridden, but just enough to be a constant, every day normality.

Naruto continued to stare down at the leaves drifting beneath him, under the bridge and on to who-knows-where the river flows. A blank, yet sad expression was engraved on his face, and though his features didn't move, the movement of his eyes betrayed his thoughts. He _was_ alone.

-ooooooooooooo-

Sasuke Uchiha, a young black-haired boy, walked down the very same river. His brother, Itachi, had gone off on a mission and had left him behind, and in his anger Sasuke had begun walking around the village in hopes of calming himself down. It'd do no good to act so emotional and weak in front of his father.

Sasuke barely acknowledged his surroundings, and was just vaguely aware of the river flowing beside him, aside from the gentle sound of running water filling his ears. Growing bored of looking at his feet, Sasuke raised his head to look around and observe where he was, which is when he noticed a signature blonde-haired boy just down the river sitting on the old bridge.

Expression morphing into a smirk, Sasuke called out:

"Oi! Dobe, what are you doing?"

"Huh?" Was Naruto's first reply, before lifting his head and spotting Sasuke down the street. Giving a grumpy pout, Naruto shouted back, irritably:

"What do you want, Sas'ke?" Naruto shouted, though a small smirk grew when he saw Sasuke glare at the butchering of his name.

"Oh nothing. I was just wandering why you were outside. Shouldn't you be hiding in your dad's office or something?"

"Hey, at least my dad _has_ an office! You Uchiha must be some kind of joke"

"You-! The Uchiha are an old clan of the village! We protect the villagers!"

"Oh yeah? Then what do all the other shinobi do?! You're not so special"

"You don't know anything, Dode! I'm from a clan, you're nobody!"

"Nuh-uh. My mum's from the Uzumaki Clan, and so am I!"

"So? I don't know any other 'Uzumakis' "

"Well, maybe you're the stupid one, not me!"

Forgoing their argument, the two boys engaged in a glaring battle instead. After a couple of minutes, Sasuke just gave a single laugh before smirking again.

"Hmph. It doesn't matter. I'm better than you in every single way, _and_ people _like_ me"

Sasuke said, before walking off smugly down the street. Naruto watched him leave with a growl evident in his throat, before huffing and looking back down at the water.

"Yeah, Kami knows why. They think you're _so_ sweet; they don't see the _real_ you"

Naruto's voice wasn't heard by anyone, and instead hung in the air, like a troubled apparition unable to depart.

-ooooooooooooo-

A few hours later, at the Namikaze's

-ooooooooooooo-

"NARUTO!"

"…Yes?"

"Where were you?!"

"Umm…"

Naruto had just returned home after wandering the village for a couple of hours, and now he stood face to face with his 'concerned' carer. Kakashi Hatake rarely lost his temper, nor did he ever allowed panic to show on his face, but today was a rare exception.

"Naruto-" The adult growled in warning.

"I was out for a walk" Was the blonde's quick but mumbled reply.

"… A walk?"

"Yes"

Silence passed for a few moments with Kakashi staring down at the youngster sceptically, whilst Naruto found his interested attached to the floor.

"… Kak-shi?"

"KA-KA-SHI!" Naruto flinched at the volume and took a few shuffled steps back.

"Um… I'm just gonna go now-"

"YOU. Are not. Going. ANYWHERE!"

If anyone was walking past the Namikaze's, they'd hear the rushing of feet, alongside several bangs and clatters as Naruto ran from Kakashi.

-ooooooooooooo-

Meanwhile, at the Uchiha's.

-ooooooooooooo-

"Hey Itachi!" Sasuke shouted, his words echoing through the house.

"Oh, hello Sasuke" The teenager responded, smiling down at his brother as he set his shoes to the side.

"You ditched me today!"

"Brother, you couldn't come on my mission-"

"Why not?" Sasuke cut off, tone becoming angrier.

"Sasuke" Sasuke's vision became downcast as he pouted, puffing his cheeks out grumpily.

Itachi scoffed at his younger brother's behaviour, before giving him a playful shove and stepping around him to get into the house. Seemingly his brother had other ideas, as he grabbed on to Itachi's leg and refused to let go, causing Itachi to nearly fall over.

After a few stumbles Itachi tripped over his feet and fell down much to Sasuke's delight. With a cheeky laugh, Sasuke disappeared before his mother or father could come to reprimand him, leaving Itachi to his dues. Smiling at Sasuke's antics, Itachi waved off his mother who'd popped her head around the corner, curious as to the ruckus. Getting up from his fallen position, the teen excused himself to have a shower and plot against his brother.

Around twenty minutes later:

"Sasuke"

"NO!"

"Come on, Sasuke" Itachi nearly sang through the door, his teasing mood fully intone.

"I don't trust you!"

"A wise decision. Allow me to fix that" With an evil grin, Itachi forced the door open and moved to torment his brother, who was currently hiding from him.

The sounds of laughter (from Itachi), screams of torment (from Sasuke) and tumbling over could be heard by Mikoto and Fugaku, who were seated downstairs enjoying a cup of tea.

-ooooooooooooo-

**Author's Note:**

**Woooh! Sorry this took so long! I've been working on other projects, and I've been putting off this update because of it. With that in mind, as I have these other projects going on, I'm going to be putting this story on temporary hiatus. Sorry guys, but I'll try to update again as soon as possible!**

**Anyway, please fav and review if you like everything so far!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Naruto &amp; Sasuke – 6 years old**

**Iruka – 16 years old**

**Kakashi &amp; Gai – 20 years old**

**Minato, Kushina &amp; Shikaku – 30 years old**

**Mikoto – 35 years old**

**Fugaku – 40 years old**


End file.
